Metal container having a cap closure



Jan. 5, 1965 R. D. WILLIAMSON 3,164,287

METAL CONTAINER HAVING A CAP CLOSURE Filed March 29, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet1 U B y 6' 2 if M H? y 9 I0 H INVENTOR E0552 7- 0. M4 4 mMso/v BY WATTORNEY Jan. 5, 1965 R. D. WILLIAMSON METAL CONTAINER HAVING A CAPCLOSURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 29, 1962 INVENTOR Ross/er D.Mum/v50 BY M I I ATTORNEY United States Patent Cfiice 3,164,287, iatented Jan. 5, 1965 3,164,287 METAL CONTAINER HAVING A CAP CLOSURERobert D. Williamson, Moutclair, N.J., assignor to American AluminumCompany, Mountainside, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 29,1962, Ser. No. 183,600 1 Claim. (Cl. 22039) This invention relates inparticular to aluminum bot tles having removable closure caps, but theinvention may be embodied in closures for other containers such as drumsand analogous vessels, particularly containers constructed of aluminumor other metal that is light in weight.

One object of the invention is to provide a novel, simple andinexpensive closure for a container that has a neck portion, soconstructed that the interior surface of the neck portion shall bestraight and smooth and devoid of obstructions such a screw threads,flanges and other projections, and the mouth of the container at theoutlet end of the neck portion will be tightly sealed by coaction of acap and a collar mounted in a new way on said neck.

Another object is to provide such a closure which shall include a noveland improved construction and combination of a neck portion on acontainer that has a sealing surface at its outer end, an adaptor or acollar, and a cap, said cap and adaptor coacting with said neck and eachother in a novel and improved manner whereby connection of the cap tothe adaptor and a tight sealing of the cap in contact with said sealingsurface of the neck can be easily and quickly effected.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a closure theconstruction of which permits easy and rapid cleaning of the innersurfaces of the neck and the adaptor and cap.

Other objects, advantages and results of the invention will be broughtout my the following description in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings in which v FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a metal bottlehaving a closure embodying the invention with the closure in closedposition and with portions broken away and shown in section;

FIGURE 2 is a similar view showing the closure in open conditionpreliminary to applying the cap to the adaptor and neck and illustratingthe adjustability of the adaptor or collar to facilitate connection ofthe cap thereto;

FIGURE 3 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional viewthrough portions of the cap, neck and adaptor, more clearly illustratingthe sealing relation of the parts;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the bottle and closure as shown in FIGURE1;- r

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary composite side elevation and vertical sectionthrough the neck and the adaptor with the cap removed and the adaptor inits normal position when the closure is open;

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the parts shown in FIGURE 5 taken fromthe plane of the line 66 of FIG- URE 5; i j

FIGURE 7 is a horizontal sectional view on the plane of the line 77 ofFIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 8 is a detached side elevation of the adaptor or. collar.

Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, thereference character A designates a container in the form of an aluminumbottle drawn from and at the extremity or mouth of which is an outturnedflange 3 disposed in a plane approximately normal to the axis of theneck and having a flat annular sealing surface 4.

In accordance with the invention to tightly close and seal the bottle, acap B coacts with an adaptor C which is loosely mounted on the neckexteriorly thereof in a floating relation thereto and has limitedmovementlongitudinally of the neck; and the cap and adaptor or collarhave coacting fastening elements such as screw threads 5 on the adaptorand mating screw threads 6 on the skirt of the cap which is shown asmolded of plastic material integrally with the top 7 of the cap, forconnecting the cap in sealed relation to the neck.

As shown, the adaptor or collar C is a thin-walled sleeve circular incross-section and encircles the neck .and is formed of relatively thinaluminum withan intu-rned flange 8 at its outer end to abut the flange 3of the neck. The adaptor also has an outturned flange 9 at its otherinnerend that normally abuts the shoulder or top wall It? of the bottleas best shown in FIGURE 5. The collar and its inturned flange 8 areshown of an internal diameter greater than the external diameter of theneck so that the collar may be tilted or cocked on the neck as shown inFIGURE 2 by gripping the peripheral edge of the flange 9, to facilitateengagement of the threads 5 of the adaptor-with the threads 6 of thecap, and the length of the adaptor is such that it may movelongitudinally between the flange 3 and the shoulder 10 of the bottle.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the collar willhe slipped onto the neck before the flange 3v is formed, the portion ofthe neck of which the flange is formed being as shown by broken lines inFIGURE 5 before the formation of the flange. After the collar or adaptorhas been applied to the neck, the flange is formed and thereafterprevents disengagement of the adaptor from the neck.

In operation of the closure, assuming the cap to be removed, the cap isgripped in one hand and the edge of the flange 9 of the adaptor isgripped between the thumb and index finger of the other hand, afterwhich the cap is moved into engagement with the end of the adaptor andthe adaptor is tilted or wiggled until proper mating of the threads ofthe adaptor and the cap is effected. Thereupon the cap is screwed ontothe adaptor and the adaptor is pulled into a position with its flange 8in abutting contact with the neck flange 3 and simultaneously the capisdrawn into tight conact with the sealing surface 4 of the neck as shownin FIGURES 1 and 3. Desirably, a packing disc 11 of suitable material isinterposed between the top of the cap and the flange 3 to provide a moreeffective seal.-

In some containers it may be desirable to utilize a cork, and in suchcasesthe neck may be formed with a frusto conical inner surface havingits larger end at the mouth or outlet end of the neck sov that a corkcan be tightly fitted in the neck and the cap will hold the cork againstdisplacement under great pressure differential between the interior andexterior of the container.

Also, the flange 9 of the adaptor may be perforated as indicated at 12to permit the use of a tamper-proof seal, and the cap B would beperforated in a suitable manner or could be formed of metal with aperimetral flange also perforated, so that a tie wire could be threadedthrough the perforations of the adaptor and the cap in a manner similarto the known types of wire seals.

It will thus be seen that the invention provides a simple Lteriorthreads, a metal adaptor which permits the use of simple and inexpensiverolledthreads, and an association of the adaptor and the cap with theneck of the container such that the cap can be easily and quickly'manipulated into container-closing or sealing condition a and theadaptor, neck and cap can be easily maintained in clean and sanitarycondition.

The construction also provides for automatic adjustment of the cap ,tothe sealing surface as the cap is screwed onto the adaptor, therebyeliminating any necessity for precision in the formation of the severalparts of the closure and yet insuring a tight seal of the openingthrough the neck.

I claim: 7

A'closure construction for a container comprising a neck having anopening therethrough formed with a straight and smooth interior surfaceand a circumferential outturned flange at the extremity of said neck,one side of said flange providing an outer annular sealing surfacedisposed in a plane approximately normal to the axis of said opening, acap for closing said opening through the neck, an adaptor sleevecircular, and rigid in cross-sec- .tion and having an internal diametergreater than the external diameter of said neck, said adaptor looselyencircling said neck exteriorly thereof and being movable longitudinallyof the neck providing for abutment of one end of said adaptor with saidflange at the side of the flange opposite said sealing surface uponmovement of the adaptor in one direction, there being means for limitingmovement of said adaptor in the other direction, said cap and saidadaptor having complemental fastening means for connecting the cap tothe adaptor and for drawing the adaptor into contact with said flangeand the cap into contact with said sealing surface upon relativerotation of the cap and the adaptor, said adaptor being a thin-walledsleeve formed of one piece of metal and having rolled screw threadsadjacent its outer end, said cap comprising a top portion and a skirthaving threads complemental to said rolled threads of the adaptor, saidadaptor also having an inturned continuous circular flange at its outerend to abut said flange on the neck and also having an outturned flangeat its opposite end for manipulating the adaptor on the neck, and saidadaptor being freely rotatable and tiltable on said neck.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 624,004 5/99Filteau 21543 1,136,361 4/15 Parr 22039 1,603,898 10/26 Boyce.

FOREIGN PATENTS 893,733 2/44 France.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

EARLE I, DRUMMOND, GEORGE O. RALSTON,

Examiners.

